RCS message types and pricing plans

RCS has 3 message types—basic, single, and conversational. There are also 2 billing models: non-conversational and conversational. The billing model is set at agent registration and can't be changed afterward, so register your agent with the right model for your use cases before sending.

All RCS message types include your verified brand name to build trust.

There's also an option to automatically fall back to SMS when a customer's device doesn't support RCS. Standard SMS fees apply to fallback messages and may differ from RCS pricing.

Billing model

Two billing models are available. The model is set at agent registration and can't be changed afterward.

Non-conversational agent: Every message bills individually as a basic or single message. Also called a Basic or Single agent. Best for one-way notifications, alerts, and promotions with little or no two-way communication.
Conversational agent: Messages bill per 24-hour conversation window. Best for use cases that need two-way communication, such as customer support or product discovery. Messages sent outside a conversation window that receive no customer reply within 24 hours bill as a single or basic message.

Choose the right billing model

Choose the billing model based on how you plan to use RCS.

Use case	Recommended billing model	Why
One-way alerts or notifications	Non-conversational agent	Best for simple outbound messages with little or no customer reply expected.
Promotions or campaign messages	Non-conversational agent	Best when the message is mainly outbound, even if it includes rich content like images, cards, or buttons.
One-time passwords or account updates	Non-conversational agent	Best for short transactional messages that work similarly to SMS.
Customer support	Conversational agent	Best when the customer is expected to reply and the conversation may include multiple messages.
Product discovery or guided shopping	Conversational agent	Best for two-way conversations where the customer asks questions or receives recommendations.
Order help or tracking conversations	Conversational agent	Best when the interaction may require back-and-forth between the customer and the business.

As a rule of thumb: use a non-conversational agent for mostly one-way messaging, and a conversational agent when the experience depends on two-way customer interaction.

RCS message types

Each message type serves different use cases. The type is determined automatically based on agent type, message content, and customer interaction—you can't manually select a billing type per message.

Basic messages

Basic messages are text-only, up to 160 characters. They work similarly to SMS and include your verified brand name. Basic messages let you reuse existing SMS content.

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US only
Basic messages are called rich messages and may support suggested replies. Messages over 160 characters are split into 2 or more rich messages rather than being converted to a single message.

In all other countries, a message longer than 160 characters is converted to a single message.

Single messages

Single messages support rich content—text, images, buttons, cards, and more. Use them for visual, interactive messages.

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US only
Single messages are called rich media messages and support the same features.

Conversational messages

Conversational messages enable real-time two-way chat between your business and customers. They include everything RCS offers.

One conversation fee covers all messages exchanged during the active 24-hour conversation window. This lets you handle multiple customer needs—support, upsells, order tracking—in a single session.

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Note
Conversational messaging requires a conversational agent to be registered and set up before sending.

How the conversational window works

A conversational window lasts 24 hours from the moment it opens. The first message in the window bills at the conversational rate—all subsequent messages within that window are free.

What opens a window:

A customer replies to your message with a text reply.
A customer initiates a new conversation after a 24-hour period of silence, and you send your first response.

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Important
Button clicks and link taps don't start the window. Only text replies do.

The window closes automatically after 24 hours regardless of message frequency—it doesn't extend with each reply. If a conversation continues after 24 hours, a new 24-hour window opens.

If a customer sends multiple messages before you respond

The 24-hour window starts from their last message, not their first. For example, if a customer messages at 1:00 PM, 2:30 PM, and 4:00 PM, and you reply at 6:30 PM, the window runs until 4:00 PM the following day.

RCS pricing

Pricing by message type

Outside the US, RCS has 3rates based on message type. In the US, 2 rates apply. Bloomreach has 2 message pricing types:

Single message: This covers basic, single, rich message, and rich media message.
Conversational message: This covers the charge for a conversational window.

Message type	What triggers it
Basic	Text only, 160 characters or fewer
Single	Rich content (media, buttons) or more than 160 characters.
Conversational	Any message sent within an active conversational window.
Rich message (US only)	Text only, 160 characters or fewer. More than 160 characters trigger a second rich message.
Rich media message (US only)	Rich content (media, buttons)

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Note
Pricing is subject to your commercial agreement. Conversational messaging isn't available in every country. For details, contact your Customer Success or Account Manager.

SMS fallback messages

RCS supports SMS fallback. If a recipient can't receive RCS messages, the message is sent as SMS instead. Standard SMS fees apply and may differ from RCS pricing.

Pricing examples

The following scenarios show how messages are charged based on content and customer interaction.

Non-conversational agents

Text-only message under 160 characters → charged as single.
Message with an image, button, or other rich content → charged as single.

Conversational agents

You send a message to a customer but get no customer response within 24 hours → charged as single
.You send the first message and the customer replies within 24 hours → the conversational window opens at the time of the customer response. One conversation fee covers the entire exchange within the 24-hour window.
The customer sends the first message and you reply → the conversational window opens. One conversation fee covers the entire exchange within the 24-hour window, including the initial incoming message and all messages thereafter.

Updated about 9 hours ago

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